The Steps of the Palace
by LyricalSinger
Summary: Summary: Arthur is forced to take on the role of comforter to his friend as they wait for help to arrive. A/N: This is a gift for sarajm, the world's best beta, who it seems will never get enough Merlin hurt/comfort stories.


The Steps of the Palace

"MERLIN!" cried Arthur as he watched his manservant tumble down the flight of stairs to land in a heap at the bottom.

The two men had been laughing at something Geoffrey had said the previous day in council as they made their way down the Griffin staircase towards the castle's entrance. Arthur was on his way to the Royal Stables to check on his horse, who had thrown a shoe, and Merlin had his hands full of medicines that he was to deliver to Gaius' various patients. Suddenly, Merlin missed his step and fell, bouncing off the stone steps and coming to a jarring halt at the bottom.

"GUARDS!" yelled Arthur as he rushed down the steps, taking them two a time and almost falling himself in his haste to reach the bottom. Merlin lay on the cold tiles, surrounded by broken glass, deathly still. As Arthur knelt by his friend's side he saw a thin line of blood began to make its way across the floor. Merlin's eyes were closed and though he was breathing, he was unresponsive.

Two guards came clattering around the corner to see their Prince kneeling on the floor at his manservant's side. "Go, find Gaius and bring him here immediately. Tell him Merlin's had an accident."

The two men looked stunned for a moment, surprised at the panic evident in the Prince's voice, but at his " _GO!_ " they turned and ran down the hall, one going left and one going right in an attempt to locate the physician as quickly as possible.

Arthur turned his attention back to his friend. He recalled enough from his various dealings with Gaius to know not to attempt to move Merlin lest he cause more damage to the lad. Kneeling at the servant's side, Arthur ghosted his hands over the Merlin's arms and legs, checking for injury. Nothing appeared broken, thank goodness, except for Merlin's right wrist which was swelling up rapidly.

As Arthur brushed his hands down Merlin's chest and ribcage, a low moan issued from Merlin's mouth and his brow furrowed in pain. _Bruises for sure_ , thought Arthur, _and possibly cracked or broken ribs as well_. Merlin was also bleeding from a head wound. Arthur knew that injuries to the head often looked worse than they actually were, but that didn't help allay his fears.

Gently tapping Merlin's cheek, Arthur said, "Merlin. Merlin. Come on, wake up. I need you to wake up and talk to me. Merlin!"

The insistent tapping roused Merlin's senses and with a loud groan of pain and a hitching of his breathing, Merlin opened his eyes. He had to blink several times before he could focus on Arthur's face above him.

"A'thur? Wha happened?" he whispered.

"You took a tumble down the stairs, Merlin," answered Arthur. "No, don't move," he added sharply, catching Merlin's left hand as he raised it towards his temple. "I need you to focus for a few moments. I don't think anything's broken but can you to tell me what hurts? Can you move your legs?"

Grimacing at the pain, Merlin shifted his legs slightly and then tried to raise his right arm. "Owwwww," moaned the lad. "My wrist. I think it's broken," he said.

"You may be right, Merlin; it's really swollen, but if you're lucky it's just sprained. How does your head feel?"

"It feels like I fell down the stairs," retorted Merlin. The he immediately looked abashed and said, "I'm sorry, Arthur. I didn't mean to snipe at you. I think it's okay; my vision isn't blurry but my head is really killing me right now." Merlin then tried to take a deep breath, but it caught and he cried out in pain. "And apparently I've also hurt my ribs," he added.

Laying a gentle hand on his manservant's shoulder, Arthur said, "Just try to relax, Merlin. You do have a head wound, but I can't tell how serious it is. I've sent for Gaius, so try not to move before he gets here."

After taking off his jacket, folding it and placing it under Merlin's head in an attempt to make him slightly more comfortable on the hard, cold floor, Arthur asked, "Merlin, how did you manage to fall down the stairs?"

"I'm not sure," he answered. "One minute we were laughing about Geoffrey and I was thinking that I should put some of the vials in my pocket … when … ooohhh."

"Merlin, what's wrong?" asked Arthur frantically. "What's happened?"

"Gaius is going to have my head! I'm sure nothing survived the trip down the stairs. All his medicines … and the glass vials," moaned the lad.

Arthur couldn't help but chuckle at Merlin's statement. "Only you, Merlin, would be more concerned about some broken glass than your broken head! I really think Gaius cares more about your well-being than the destruction of some of his medicines."

The sound of scurrying feet filled the hallway and soon Gaius appeared from around the corner. Rushing towards the two young men he said, "Merlin, Arthur, what happened?" As he knelt at Merlin's side, Arthur stood and explained about the accident. Once he had finished, Arthur turned to the guard who had accompanied Gaius and said, "Go to the physician's rooms and bring back the transport frame. I don't think Merlin will be able to walk and we need to get him back to Gaius' chambers quickly."

"Right away, my lord," answered the guard as he hurried off to do his duty.

By the time Arthur could return his attention to the physician and his patient, Gaius had already wrapped Merlin's wrist and was examining his head. "You are a very lucky young man," said Gaius as he wiped away some blood that had begun to drip down towards Merlin's ear. "The wound doesn't seem to be too deep, so I won't have to do any stitching. But, I believe you do have some cracked ribs, your right wrist is definitely sprained and I'm sure you're soon going to bear a lovely collection of bruises."

"I always said you had a hard head, Merlin," said Arthur with a smile.

Merlin was ready with a sharp retort when he glanced up at Arthur and saw the look on the other man's face. The blond looked distraught and physically ill. Merlin had always been pretty sure that Arthur cared about him, but one look at the other man was all it took for Merlin to realize the depth of Arthur's feelings towards him.

The guard returned, carrying the transport bed. After helping Gaius to his feet, Arthur grabbed one end of the bed and laid it on the floor beside his servant. With a little bit of effort, and a great deal of pain for Merlin, Arthur and the guard managed to transfer the dark-haired lad to the bed. They each grabbed an end and slowly stood, making sure to keep the bed level. By the time they were upright, though, Merlin had turned white, his brows standing out against his pale skin.

"By all that's blessed, Merlin, now is not the time to be sick," warned Arthur. "It won't be a pleasant experience with your ribs the way they are." Merlin just whimpered in response, his lips clamped tight against the roiling in his stomach.

On hearing Arthur's words, Gaius took one look at his patient and fumbled in his bag for a vial containing a blue liquid. Raising Merlin's head slightly and holding the bottle to his lips, Gaius said, "Here, drink this. It will help settle your stomach."

Merlin bravely swallowed down the potion and once he felt his insides settle, he nodded to Arthur.

"All right, Merlin? Then let's get you back to your rooms."

It was slow trip through the castle and up the stairs to Gaius' chambers and by the time they had transferred Merlin to the patient bed, he was in tears from the pain.

Embarrassed, Merlin turned his face away from the Prince, trying to bury it in the small pillow, but Arthur gently grasped his shoulder and said, "Merlin, there's no need to feel ashamed. I would be more concerned if you weren't feeling bad after all that's happened. Trust me, I know you're not a weakling. Your injuries would bring anyone down, even a knight. You've been brave so far. Now you can relax. Let Gaius take care of you and I'll come back to see you shortly."

With a glance at Gaius to ensure that the physician did not require his further assistance, Arthur smiled down at his servant before heading towards the door.

A quiet voice stopped him before he had taken more than a couple of steps. "Arthur. Thank you," said Merlin. He knew how reticent the Prince could be, so the fact that he had remained with him, even going so far as to help transport him to his chambers, meant a great deal to Merlin.

"Any time, Merlin," responded Arthur with a fond smile, "any time."


End file.
